I don’t see the problem with closing the police stations as it is not going to affect the policing on the streets. This is a cost cutting exercise for the front desk only and if more people were aware of what number to ring should they need the police on a non urgent matter then I am sure that the reported 31 people per night figure would significantly shrink. I myself have used the front desk and to be quite honest based on my experience I wouldn’t bother in future.

No one is saying there will be no police on the street for 16 hours, simply no one manning a desk. In reality how many serious crimes are going to be reported at the front desk of a police station?

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Madness to close the WEDNESFIELD station as it covers the historic 1500 year old boundaries of the town and includes some of the highest rates of crime areas in the country, namely Wednesfield Heath (Heath Town), Old Heath, Little London, West Springfield, The Scotlands, Underhill,Fibbersley,Backers End,the two Ashmores,Westcroft,Fallings Park, Neachells,March End,Long Knowle,Pool Hayes, etc etc.
No doubt BIRMINGHAM will not suffer nearly as much, either the stations or the ridiculously opulent LLOYD HOUSE.

PATHETIC

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I’m against the whole police cuts, however this is one that I don’t think will have a lasting effect on the community. Although, I’d like to see them kept open – if they need to close, they need to close. As others have previously said it won’t effect policing on the streets. And if police is needed, by walking to the police station there is a yellow box with a telephone in (just to the right of that picture above) simply use that.

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Further, it’s also councilors who are up in arms over these cuts, let’s not forget that. It’s councilors who have complained, and campaigned on behalf of the public. Their concerns are genuine – we NEED police stations to be open AND serving the public. Otherwise you have regular police helicopters circling houses – at great expense – when morons are stealing drain covers. You have police coming 90 mins late when crimes have been committed, because they have had to travel. You have attitudes like “well, what do you expect us to do about it?”, after a theft, because they’re not familiar with their locality. These cut-backs are like this coalition – they are moronic, and they are aimed at the wrong people. Even the police themselves are up in arms over it. You don’t close police stations in high-crime areas, and at night round here when the cops knock off there is a plethora of non-stop anti-social activity.. they do it because they know they can get away with it!

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Also remember that like Tipton, you have ‘Dispersal Areas’. What a joke. These areas need police to monitor them, but they don’t; instead they have to be a reactive force coming from other towns, and often when it’s simply too late. These Dispersal Areas are also very specific in their boundary, so you get bad places that are not covered – why? Easy. So the police and the council are lot legally obligated to cover them! Well, covering the existing one’s doesn’t seem to be much of a priority – walked to Princess End lately? What a horrible atmosphere (especially near the car park), and not a copper in sight. Closing stations increase crime.

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SIMPLES, close LLOYD HOUSE and move the Police headquarters to the now surplus Fire Control Centre by the M54, that will save millions in running costs and the capital from the sale £100m can be given back to Council Tax payers; Anyone see any problems with that?

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